Sleep Latency and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Retired Career Florida Firefighters

In Brief Objective Our objective was to estimate the association of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sleep latency among retired firefighters. Methods Baseline health survey data collected from retried career Florida firefighters participating in an ongoing prospective cohort study from 2017 to 2021 were analyzed. Risk for PTSD was assessed using a four-item primary care PTSD screening construct, and sleep onset latency was assessed by self-reported length of time to fall asleep. Results Among the 500 participants, 8.0% screened positive for PTSD risk and 37.6% had prolonged sleep onset latency (≥20 minutes to fall asleep). Retired firefighters with PTSD risk were 2.7 times more likely (adjusted odds ratio, 2.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.27–5.75) to have prolonged sleep latency compared with those without PTSD risk while controlling for covariates. Conclusions Retired firefighters who screen positive for PTSD risk are three times more likely to report delayed sleep onset latency. Among retired career Florida firefighters, approximately 8.0% screened positive for PTSD risk, 37.6% had prolonged sleep latency (≥20 minutes to fall asleep), 23.7% use sleeping pills, and 39.3% spoke to a health professional about trouble sleeping. Diagnosed sleeping disorders included sleep apnea (24.0%), insomnia (2.8%), and restless leg syndrome (2.4%).